This undergraduate textbook provides an introduction to the fundamentals of solid state physics, including a description of the key people in the field and the historic context. The book concentrates on the electric and magnetic properties of materials. It is written for students up to the bachelor level in the fields of physics, materials science, and electric engineering. Because of its vivid explanations and its didactic approach, it can also serve as a motivating pre-stage and supporting companion in the study of the established and more detailed textbooks of solid state physics. The textbook is suitable for a quick repetition prior to examinations. This second edition is extended considerably by detailed mathematical treatments in many chapters, as well as extensive coverage of magnetic impurities.

Prof. em. Rudolf Huebener earned his PhD in physics from the University of Marburg. After holding research positions at Karlsruhe and New York he worked 12 years at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, USA. In 1974 he accepted a professorship at the University of Tubingen. For his scientific achievements Rudolf Huebener was awarded the Max Planck Research Prize in 1992.